London Moves Outdoors

Aaaahhh…London has been rescuscitated back to life with the onset of real Spring weather. Hurray! I honestly have to laugh at myself and how much I comment on the weather here in our blog and on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Hopefully that’s not a sign of how boring I’m becoming—if it is, then it applies to everyone else I know here. I think talking about the weather is mandatory for local residents; you’ll see for yourself.

The logic is as such: increasing duration of daylight + higher proportion of that daylight that is sunshine + warmer temperatures = an awakening of the senses, rotation of the wardrobe, and overall higher motivation to get out there and do everything worthwhile doing outdoors. I, for one, went for a wander yesterday with my husband over to Battersea Park, just south of the Thames from Chelsea. This substantial bit of green space gets overshadowed by more touristed parks like Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. James’s Park, so I recommend it as a more local spot of tranquility. One can rent cycles, paddle boats, and row boats there, visit the children’s zoo and pagoda, play cricket, tennis, and other favorite sports, or just lie about on the flat expanses or little hills and watch the dogs dart about at full speed while the herons stand perfectly still. Not too far a walk toward the main roundabout is a relaxed pub named The Masons Armsthat offers a healthy menu, unlike most pubs, and provides a low-key place to chat or read amid good music and local artwork. The walk across Albert Bridge in itself is a treat (though mind the construction that is presently diverting motor traffic).

I’m also in the midst of brainstorming our next get together, tentatively scheduled for later this month. Sunshine and ever-greener trees makes me yearn for pints in a proper biergarten, so some possibilities I’ve offered up to our friends are the The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead and Stein’s Bavarian Restaurant in Richmond for a chance to visit non-central areas with great charm. For something more central,there isHenry J. Bean’s on the Kings Road in Chelsea. I actually just hung out there on Saturday after the Grand National horse race; while the interior of the venue as well as its menu are blatantly American-inspired, it does have a large and atmospheric beer garden in the back. Another hot spot you might hit for enjoying your libations out of doors would be the Ice Wharf in Camden, located right on the canal—this one comes highly recommended by my colleague 🙂

Whatever meets your fancy outside this Spring, make sure your indoor space does as well by entrusting your flat-search to London Relocation Ltd.